SVP AI Enterprise Architect

About Northern Trust:

Northern Trust, a Fortune 500 company, is a globally recognized, award-winning financial institution that has been in continuous operation since 1889.

Northern Trust is proud to provide innovative financial services and guidance to the world's most successful individuals, families, and institutions by remaining true to our enduring principles of service, expertise, and integrity. With more than 130 years of financial experience and over 22,000 partners, we serve the world's most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

About Northern Trust

Northern Trust, a Fortune 500 company, is a globally recognized, award-winning financial institution that has been in continuous operation since 1889.

Northern Trust is proud to provide innovative financial services and guidance to the world's most successful individuals, families, and institutions by remaining true to our enduring principles of service, expertise, and integrity. With more than 130 years of financial experience and over 22,000 partners, we serve the world's most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Your Role

The SVP, AI Architect will serve as a strategic member of the Enterprise Architecture organization, providing expert guidance, thought leadership, and hands-on support across all areas of generative AI and machine learning within the enterprise. This role is responsible for shaping and influencing the organization's AI strategy, ensuring that innovation is pursued with intention, security, and appropriate governance.

In this role, the AI Architect will drive controlled and sustainable AI adoption, enabling meaningful efficiency gains through intelligent automation, process optimization, and the integration of advanced AI capabilities into enterprise solutions. Success requires a deep and ongoing awareness of emerging AI technologies, evolving industry best practices, and the rapidly shifting landscape of generative AI.

The ideal candidate understands how AI can augment and streamline the developer experience, improve delivery velocity, and enhance solution quality. Equally important is the ability to bridge business objectives with technical architectures-translating complex concepts into actionable strategies and ensuring that AI solutions align with enterprise priorities, value drivers, and risk management frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Provide input, guidance, and expertise on generative AI and machine learning within the enterprise

• Drive controlled growth in AI initiatives and deliver efficiency gains through automation and AI adoption

• Stay abreast of the latest AI developments and technologies

• Advise on how AI can enhance the developer experience and consult with application development teams

• Bridge the gap between business and technology by aligning technical solutions with business needs

• Drive AI governance through Architecture Review Boards

Preferred Skills

• Deep experience with generative AI, machine learning, and enterprise‑grade AI/ML systems in regulated industries.

• Strong enterprise architecture background and ability to align AI solutions with business strategy.

• Expertise in AI governance, regulatory frameworks, and implementing compliant risk controls.

• Proven experience scaling AI adoption across cross‑functional teams.

• Familiarity with AI architecture frameworks, MLOps best practices, and CI/CD for agentic applications.

• Mastery of Azure AI Foundry and working knowledge of AWS generative AI tools.

• Strong understanding of RAG applications and advanced prompt engineering techniques.

• Knowledge of tradeoffs across leading model providers and alignment to enterprise constraints.

• Experience tuning vector databases such as Postgres, Databricks, and Azure Search.

• Ability to define measurable AI ROI and differentiate AI vs automation use cases.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree (Master's or PhD) in AI, Data Science, Computer Science, or related field.

• Professional certifications in AI, machine learning, cloud architecture, or enterprise architecture.

• Experience with compliance and regulatory aspects of AI in financial services.

• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python and experience with AI/ML frameworks.

• This role is primarily not a hands-on role, though building PoC and demo applications should be within their skillset so the chosen candidate should have strong programming skills, likely in Python or any OOP language (Java, C/C++, C#/.NET, Rust, Go, etc.).

• Model training or fine tuning experience

• Holds an Advanced cloud certification in Azure

• Experience with LangChain, TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Databricks SDKs for ML

Salary Range:

$137,400 - 240,400 USD

Salary range is a good faith estimate of base pay. Northern Trust provides a comprehensive benefits package including retirement benefits (401k and pension), health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability), paid time off, parental and caregiver leave, life & accident insurance, and other voluntary and well-being benefits. Northern Trust also provides a discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component.

Working with Us:

As a Northern Trust partner, greater achievements await. You will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture in an organization where financial strength and stability is an asset that emboldens us to explore new ideas.

Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to assisting the communities we serve! Join a workplace with a greater purpose.

We'd love to learn more about how your interests and experience could be a fit with one of the world's most admired and sustainable companies! Build your career with us and apply today. #MadeForGreater

Reasonable accommodation

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at MyHRHelp@ntrs.com.

We hope you're excited about the role and the opportunity to work with us. We value an inclusive workplace and understand flexibility means different things to different people.

Apply today and talk to us about your flexible working requirements and together we can achieve greater.